


Drawings of You

by hedatopaz



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Clexaweek2019, F/F, Nerd/Popular Trope, Popular!Lexa, nerd!Clarke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-11-07 21:13:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17968148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hedatopaz/pseuds/hedatopaz
Summary: After Clarke and Lexa grow apart, the two branch off into opposite social groups. Clarke is your typical nerdy A-student and Lexa is the popular soccer player. After they are assigned each other as lab partners, they reconnect. Lexa finds Clarke’s drawings, and they find the high school social hierarchy doesn’t quite matter after all.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> for day 5 of clexa week  
> prompt: nerd/popular trope  
> I am going to make either a 2 part or a 3 part story. regardless, 2nd part should be up by tomorrow!

Clarke was always a good artist. She’d drawn tigers and lions when she was young, moving on to gardens and cities when she got older. After her father passed away, she stopped drawing, losing a passion for most everything. Her mother never knew that she started up again because she only drew in private. She didn’t want anyone to judge her for what she chose to draw, because she knew it was nothing but a hopeless shot in the dark.

 

She hid her drawing folder in a dust covered box under her bed. It held a myriad of pictures of what she loved the most, and what she could never have.

 

Lexa Woods.

 

Everyone loved her. Not the way Clarke loved her, never the way Clarke loved her.

 

It wasn’t like the two didn’t know eachother, they actually had a fair bit of history. They had been best friends back in elementary school and the first two years of middle school. Inseparable.

 

Things changed after Clarke lost her father. She stopped coming to school everyday, started to act different. Her grades never suffered due to the former, rather the opposite, with Clarke immersing herself into schoolwork to cope with her grief. But, all of her relationships did. She didn’t really talk to Lexa anymore, or anyone. Clarke didn’t want to go the parties she and Lexa had adventures together, didn’t want sleepovers, didn’t want any of it. She wanted to study all night and sleep all day, wanted dark curtains and black coffee. It was like she was a different person, except she wasn’t.

 

When high school rolled around, Clarke and Lexa were practically strangers. Lexa had tried, she really had. Eventually, she stopped texting Clarke and waiting for her to reply, she stopped trying to sit with her at lunch, she just stopped. There wasn’t exactly another option.

 

Consequently, Lexa found her own group of friends. She missed Clarke horribly at first, but it got easier after time. Small things would remind her of the blonde here and there, but she’d just keep moving and try to forget.

 

Clarke didn’t even realize what she had done until it was too late. Lexa became busy with soccer, schoolwork and her new group of friends. She’d miss Clarke’s calls, and when she didn’t, she’d reply weakly to call her back later. Truth be told, Lexa just really didn’t want to open herself to heartbreak like she had before. Lexa had moved on.

 

Clarke didn’t know what to do to remedy the situation, and there was nothing she really _could_ do. So, Clarke found her own group of friends, keeping the brunette ever-present in the back of her mind. She enrolled herself in honors classes, and extra-curriculars. If she wasn’t busy, she was remembering and she didn’t want to remember.

 

It all came back together junior year. As Clarke sat in her front-row desk tracing the veins on her wrist, she heard a scoff from the back of the room.

 

“Move.” A female voice spoke, with obvious annoyance in her tone.

 

“No, I got here first. Don’t be late if you want first pick.” A boy replied to her, laughing.

 

“Ugh,” Lexa muttered, “fuck you.”

 

“Hey, it’s not so bad. You can cheat off of Griffin. I’m sure that nerd has an A in every class.”

 

It took Clarke a moment to realize she was being referenced, and another to realize who the voice belonged to. _Shit_. It was a minute before the bell, and all the seats were filled, except for the one to Clarke’s left. Low and behold, Lexa Woods. Before, Clarke could move, she heard a book bag hit the floor and knew it was too late.

 

Lexa knew she couldn’t be anything but a bitch to Clarke, not if she didn’t want to be hassled about it. It was stupid, but high school held a certain social hierarchy that Lexa was at the top of.

 

The desks were arranged in rows, forming black and brown stripes from a distance. Neither differed in quality, only color. The teacher made markings in a notebook, watching the students talk through the first day announcements to the point no one could hear them (though it wasn’t like anyone cared to).

 

As soon as the announcements finished, the teacher took a large sip out of their coffee thermos and begun. “I’m Mr. Tucker, welcome to physics.”

 

The class groaned in unison, most everyone only taking the class to fill the science requirement.

 

The teacher continued, “We’re beginning with a lab today. To save me the hassle of pairing you up and making a seating chart...those of you in a brown desk, the person to your left is your partner. Black desks, to your right. Pick up a paper off my desk and get started.”

 

Clarke bit her lip and turned to Lexa, who was exchanging eye rolls with her friends across the room. She closed her eyes and tapped Lexa on the shoulder.

 

“Better get started.” She said quietly, forcing a laugh in an attempt to ease the tension.

 

“Yeah,” Lexa spoke as she turned back to Clarke and pushed her hair behind her ear. “I guess so.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for the kudos and comments! I really appreciate it. I’ve decided this will be a 3 part story, and the third part will be up either later today or tomorrow. Enjoy!

Two weeks had gone by and working with Lexa had been bearable. She really only acted snide when her “friends” walked over, and remained quiet when they didn’t. Still, Clarke would catch glimpses of the old Lexa whenever she’d tell a corny joke or start talking about something she was passionate about. It was almost like nothing had changed

_Almost_.

It felt dumb, being so worked up about one hour of the day. But, Lexa had changed so much, and so little at the same time. She was a wonder to her. Clarke just found herself lost in the moment when she was around Lexa.

“Clarke?” Lexa inquired, waving a hand in front of the blonde’s face.

So much so, that she’d gotten lost in her daydreams.

“Yeah?” Clarke replied.

“Can you hand me the beaker?”

“Yeah,” Clarke said, her face turning red, “sorry.”

“Not a problem.” Lexa replied, reassuring Clarke.

“Oh my god, Lexa, get over here.” A redheaded girl called from across the room.

“One second.” Lexa muttered to Clarke, beginning to walk over to the girl.

It turned out to be more than a second. Lexa stayed over by her as she went on about the latest drama of who stole who’s boyfriend and other trivial matters until the teacher announced there were five minutes remaining of class.

“I’m sorry, I really need a good grade in this class. I’ll be right back.” Lexa said in an apologetic tone as she left and hurried over to Clarke.

“I’m sorry, I-“

“It’s fine.” Clarke interrupted. “We have all the lab work done, we just need to work on the report...are you free to stay after school today?”

“No, sorry.” Lexa replied, “Soccer practice. I’ve got it all week.” 

“Okay, well the report is due Monday..”

“I could come over this weekend?” Lexa suggested. “I’d invite you over but everything’s haywire at my place right now.” 

Clarke raised her eyebrows and chuckled. “You want to come over to _my_ house? I thought I was a social pariah to you.” she said, making sure to smile to let Lexa know she was partially joking.

“People don’t need to know.” Lexa spoke. As she watched Clarke’s smile drop, she continued. “But, it’s not like it would be a big deal anyways. It’s not like they’re my parents, deciding who I can and cannot hang out with. It could be like old times.”

“Like old times.” Clarke repeated.

“Of course,” Lexa added, straightening her shoulders, “only if want to.” She didn’t want to seem weak around Clarke, or anyone, and she surely didn’t want to be to quick to think Clarke wanted anything to do with her.

“Yeah,” Clarke smiled. “I would.”

“You live in the same place, right?” Lexa asked, making sure Clarke hadn’t moved since she’d been over to her house last.

Clarke nodded. “Mhm.”

“Does Saturday work?” Lexa asked as she packed her folder into the bag sitting under the lab bench.” 

“Yeah,” Clarke bit her lip, trying to hide a childlike grin. “Saturday works.”

— 

Although Lexa never specified what time she would come over, Clarke made sure she cleared her day. It wasn’t like she had any parties to go to or anything, but she made sure she didn’t have any study groups or volunteer hours she was going to that day.

She had never worn makeup around the house with Lexa before, but she didn’t want to look careless whenshe saw her. It had been years since the two had hung out in school, let alone outside of it, so it wasn’t like she knew what to expect.

Soon enough, her doorbell rang. Clarke got up to answer it, but her mother beat her to the door.

“Lexa!” She exclaimed, “It is so great to see you, I haven’t seen you in forever! How have you been, sweetheart?”

“I’ve been well.” Lexa replied, smiling. “It is good to see you too.”

“Clarke!” Abby called for her daughter, who was at the eavesdropping at the bottom of the stairs.

Clarke came into the room, fidgeting with her hands out of nervousness. “Hi, Lexa.” She spoke quietly, avoiding eye contact.

“Why haven’t you had Lexa over in so long?” Abby asked, completely oblivious to the situation.

Clarke gave her mom a wide-eyed look. She deeply inhaled, but before she could make up an answer, Lexa chimed in.

“We’ve just been really busy, you know? Schoolwork, sports, high school, etcetera.” She stammered. 

“Ok. Well you guys can head back to Clarke’s room, or the living room or wherever. Let me know if you need anything.” 

The girls nodded and looked at each other.

“Um, follow me I guess.” Clarke spoke, beginning to walk to her room.

Lexa followed Clarke to her room, and set down her bag. It was beautiful, the walls painted a turquoise color, and various artworks hung up on them.

Clarke watched Lexa look around and immediately became nervous. “Well, I guess we’d better get to work.” 

“Yeah,” Lexa looked down at the floor. “we should.”

Lexa sat on the floor, sprawling out an assortment of papers next to her. Clarke took a seat on her bed and did the same. She looked back at Lexa.

“No, you don’t have to sit on the floor. I’m sorry.” She said, getting up to clear blankets out of a papasan chair. “Sit here.”

Lexa stood up to sit down in the chair, replying, “It’s not a big deal.”

The two worked in silence for half an hour, both too nerve wracked to say anything. Finally, Clarke put a paper in front of Lexa.

“This is what I got for the equations.”

Lexa handed the paper back at Clarke, “Oh, I’m not done with them yet. We can check them in a few minutes.”

Clarke took the paper back, puzzled. “But-“

Lexa realized what Clarke was trying to do and began to refute her. “Oh no, I don’t want to copy off your work. I didn’t know that’s what you-“

Clarke pressed her lips together and set the paper down next to her. “Never mind.” She looked back at Lexa.

“You know, just because I hang out with people who can be like that doesn’t mean I’m like that.” Lexa spoke.

“I didn’t-“

“Let me finish.” Lexa sat up in her chair. “You don’t need to be intimidated by me. Frankly, I can be quite intimidated me.”

Clarke laughed. “ _Me_? Intimidated by _me_?”

“Yes! You’re in like the top 5% of our class, and everyone always talks about how smart you are.” Lexa shifted in her seat. “Besides, I thought you hated me after-“

“After?”

“After you stopped talking to me.” Lexa said, sadness present in her tone. “We used to be best friends you know.” 

“Oh.” Clarke muttered, looking down. “I don’t hate you, I-“

Lexa stopped her, forcing a smile. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad you don’t.”

The two girls went back into silence, only exchanging small words about the lab. Eventually, they had finished and Lexa began to pack up her bag.

“Wait.” Clarke spoke, stopping Lexa in her tracks. “Don’t leave.”

“Okay.”

 


End file.
